Due to pressure from opponents of the Greenlight plan
and the Sales tax ordinance, the Suncoast Transit Authority and the Pinellas
County Commission found it necessary to develop the Interlocal Agreement before
the election to add some direction to how the revenue from the 1% sales tax
will be spent and to attempt to add some clarity regarding the suspension of
the current PSTA Ad valorem property tax.

DISCLAIMER:

The following document is a reproduction of the Pinellas County Interlocal Agreement with the
Suncoast Transit Authority approved by the Pinellas County Commission.

The text of the Agreement appears in italicsMy Comments appear in Bold regular text.

WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 2000-424, Laws of Florida, as amended
("Special Act"), PSTA has the authority to plan, develop, improve,
construct, maintain, operate, and finance a public transit system, as that term
is defined therein; and

Confirms PSTA is
a legal transit authority.

WHEREAS, PSTA has developed a plan for the development, improvement,
construction, equipping, operation, maintenance and financing of public transit
benefitting the County including an expanded bus system with bus rapid transit,
increased frequency and extended hours, and local passenger rail and regional
connections, which is commonly referred to as the "Greenlight Pinellas
Plan;" and

There is a
question here as to whether PSTA actually has a detailed plan for each of the items
listed in this Whereas. In fact the Ordinance that you will make a law contains
no detailed plans and is intentionally vague. This Interlocal Agreement, as you
will see does very little to detail the actual PSTA Greenlight plan.

WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, counties, cities, public
authorities, and other political subdivisions are authorized to enter into
interlocal agreements among and between themselves in order to make the most
efficient use of their powers and enabling them to cooperate with other
governmental entities; and

Establishes the
authority for the Interlocal Agreement.

WHEREAS, the County and PSTA desire to equitably determine and to contract and
provide herein the manner in which the proceeds from the Surtax shall be
distributed to PSTA and the use to which those proceeds may be made by PSTA.

This is a grand
Whereas, and if the Agreement actually accomplished these goals it would be a
fine Agreement.

Unfortunately it
gets the first part, distributing the money to PSTA, right in line with PSTA
goal of "get all the money as fast as you can", while the attempt to control
how PSTA will use the money is watered down in legal and political double
speak.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants of this Agreement, and other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
the County and PSTA agree, each with the other, as follows:

You see this
phrase a lot in agreements of this type.

Most people
don't really pay a lot of attention, but in this case you have the most
powerful government in the County, the County Commission, and what will quite
likely become the second most powerful government entity in the County, PSTA, if
this Sales Tax Referendum passes, agreeing "in consideration of the mutual
covenants of this Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the
receipt of which is hereby acknowledged".

What I take from
this is these two governments are coveting to use your $130 Million in annual tax
revenue for their mutual interests.